An inbound marketing and HubSpot blog by marketers for marketers

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The new HubSpot Marketplace for modules, apps and other cool stuff

HubSpot Modules. Apps and Integrations. WordPress plug-ins. Whatever it is that helps you get eek that little bit extra from your HubSpot platform... You can get hold of it in our new marketplace. What's in the Digital 22 Marketplace? All sorts! It's like a big box of HubSpot treats that help you...

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Producing retainer work for monthly clients
  • Digital marketing

    • Retainer vs project work: What does your business need to thrive?

    Aside from choosing who to work with, the most important thing is deciding how to work with them. Should you agree to a fixed fee retainer and sign away your soul to the most appealing agency? Or maybe play it safe? Paying as you go for projects, knowing it might never amount to anything other than the creative confines of the brief.

    5 min read
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  • SEO

    • [Free Template] A simple guide to effective keyword research

    Keyword research forms the foundation of any inbound marketing campaign, and much like in construction, an unsteady foundation can result in a weak, crumbling campaign. 

    7 min read
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    exploring call to action examples in hubspot
  • Digital marketing

    • 5 epic call to action examples, why they work and when to use them

    Having explored our golden call to action (CTA) rules in an earlier blog post, it’s time to see what these fundamentals look like in practice. From market-leading B2B firms to innovative B2C companies, we dissect every element of their successful CTAs including popular accounting software, Xero and luxury destination, Selfridges.

    6 min read
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    most powerful b2b marketing strategies
  • Digital marketing

    • The most powerful B2B marketing strategies to implement today

    Whether I asked you this question five years ago or I ask it three years from now, I bet the biggest challenge marketing teams face is the same: generating traffic and leads for their business. It isn’t an easy job at all as the trends fluctuate and previous years’ biggest innovations might not even be relevant right now.

    7 min read
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    what is content strategy and why do i need one
  • Digital marketing

    • What is a content strategy? 3 reasons you need one

    Many businesses fall into the trap of creating content without a strategy. It leaves them scratching their heads as to why that fantastic blog or email, the one that took countless hours to make, has yielded no results. 

    4 min read
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    Digital 22's branding evolution new website
  • Digital marketing

    • Introducing Digital 22's branding evolution

    If you know Digital 22, you know we aren’t afraid of change. In fact, more often than not, we lean into it. It’s exciting, it challenges us and enables us to grow. So, you might have noticed we have a brand new, fancy look!

    3 min read
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  • Digital marketing

    • “Watch what I do, not what I say” - deconstructing what Gary Vee does.

    “Watch what I do, not what I say.” If this was about me, you’d watch me spend too much money on footwear and then listen to me telling you why they’re great purchases. But this isn’t about me - it’s about Gary Vaynerchuk (aka Gary Vee) and how he actually does marketing.

    24 min read
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  • Digital marketing

    • Inbound influencers with Luke Staton: 3 steps to getting through uncertain times

    We're living in challenging times. People are having to make some pretty big changes to the way they live their lives.

    1 min read
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  • Digital marketing

    • Why it's important to keep your marketing knowledge and skills up to date

    The marketing landscape is dynamic and always changing - trends, technology and tactics are never stagnant. Something as simple as learning has become an essential marketing skill.

    2 min read
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  • Digital marketing

    • 15 most viewed Christmas adverts of all time

    Bah, humbug. We're doing this again? I guess it's finally upon us. The time of the year where businesses release their yearly Christmas adverts and the public (that includes all of you lot reading this) eats them up.

    7 min read
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    Chatbots have evolved from robotic systems to intelligent customer-serving programmes
  • Digital marketing

    • 7 of the best chatbot solutions for marketers

    Unbelievably, chatbots predate personal computers. The first form of conversational AI was born in 1966 - the year The Flintstones aired its series finale, the Australian Dollar was introduced and the popular boat ride “It’s a Small World” opened at Disneyland for the very first time.

    5 min read
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    full-team-july19-web@2x
  • Digital marketing

    • Celebrating 6 years of Digital 22

    Digital 22 became a limited company exactly six years ago today. Time has flown by and lots of things have happened within this period. We’ve won awards, hired some fantastic people, but most importantly of all, we’ve had an amazing time in the process.

    5 min read
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    Office focus
  • Digital marketing

    • 9 videos you should definitely have on your website and why

    Written content is always going to be important, but since production became accessible to everyone during the past decade - video is a MUST HAVE. But that doesn’t mean you instantly need to go out and invest in five videographers and the most expensive piece of equipment on the market.

    5 min read
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    IMG_4750
  • Digital marketing

    • How Many People do In-House Teams Need to do Inbound Marketing Effectively

    To drive optimal results for every one of your inbound marketing campaigns, you need an effective team in place, all specialising in different areas. It’s just not possible to do it all alone. We’re talking along the lines of The Avengers - the best in the business all committed to using their unique skill sets to make sure each campaign is a home run.

    8 min read
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  • Digital marketing

    • How Marketing Automation is Key to Inbound Marketing

    For many of today’s businesses, it’s the norm to use marketing automation. When a new prospect signs up for weekly emails or a customer has bought a product, they can be added to a workflow which sends them targeted emails.

    2 min read
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    hubspot cms new tools and integrations
  • Digital marketing

    • Creating a business case to move your website to the HubSpot CMS Hub.

    Rigid, limited creativity and sometimes lacking security - traditional CMS' are just not agile enough for the modern marketer anymore. Enter the HubSpot CMS Hub. You know you need to change and adapt your systems, but how do you communicate that to the right people?

    4 min read
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    sugar crm vs hubspot crm
  • Digital marketing

    • An in-depth look at HubSpot CRM vs SugarCRM: How to choose

    Sometimes, you just have to cross boundaries - and for a humble marketer, that can be a big leap. When Digital 22 were asked by HubSpot to write a review of their sales tool compared to other platforms, we got ready to cross over to the other side. The Dark Side (to a marketer like me). The sales side of HubSpot.

    7 min read
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  • PPC

    • What You Can Learn From Big Brands Pulling Out Of Google Advertising

    A slew of massive brands and the leading advertising agencies in the world are taking a stand against Google. Some of the biggest companies around - HSBC, McDonald's, L'Oreal, Audi and the BBC, to name just five - have withdrawn advertising spend away from Google.

    3 min read
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  • SEO

    • Our Best Inbound Marketing Resources Put Together In One List

    To save some time, we've put together this list of resources and downloads, all from our own blog and website. This is your one stop shop for our best inbound marketing resources - and they're all FREE.

    3 min read
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  • Analytics

    • How To Track Marketing Campaigns Fully & Show Your Boss You're Amazing

    Here's how to track marketing campaigns fully and conclusively. Make sure you highlight the right data, prove your campaign's worth and keep being allowed to go from strength to strength.

    3 min read
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  • SEO

    • 6 Sources To Stay Ahead Of The Digital Marketing Curve

    To help you stay ahead of the digital marketing curve, we've collated a list of 6 places you should regularly check to make sure you're straight onto the latest developments, releases and trends in digital and inbound marketing.

    3 min read
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  • Digital marketing

    • Incorporating Native Marketing Into Your Inbound Strategy

    A wholly effective inbound strategy should utilise PPC and SEO, as well as content sharing and email nurturing. Incorporating native marketing into your inbound strategy is a great way of attracting new visitors in a helpful, non-intrusive and inbound friendly way.

    4 min read
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    Adblock_Plus_Question.png
  • Digital marketing

    • Let's Talk About Ad Blocking & Adblock Plus Selling Ad Space

    There's more news on Ad Blocking with Adblock Plus selling ad space to site owners and content producers who originally had external ads on their sites blocked by Adblock Plus. Interesting. Or is it not? Read the discussion.  

    3 min read
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  • Digital marketing

    • How HubSpot CRM Can Improve Your Sales

    The power of HubSpot lies in the depth it offers in its free customer relationship management. Add in some of the paid add-ons within HubSpot Sales and it offers unparalleled aid to your sales performance. Behaviour tracking, list segmentation and workflow arrangements are all there for you to harness. With just the basic CRM and a some paid add-ons from HubSpot Sales, these features will allow you to nurture leads more effectively and convert them into sales more often.

    2 min read
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  • Digital marketing

    • The Web Page Layout Best Practices Checklist

    Here is the ultimate web page layout best practices checklist. We're going to go over every element of your page then you can design it effectively for online visitors who land on your site. The layout of your web pages will influence how successful your conversion rate will be. So, what's the best way to design the layout of your web page?  

    3 min read
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  • Digital marketing

    • 12 Of The Best Time Saving Apps For Marketing Professionals

    They're great to use in your social life, but are you using your smartphone to make your worklife easier?

    3 min read
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  • Analytics

    • 8 Ways To Improve User Experience Free UX Tools

    Your website's User Experience is probably the most important thing you need to get right. It underpins the whole fabric of your website and therefore your online business.

    3 min read
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  • Digital marketing

    • 5 Factors That Make For A Productive Client Designer Relationship

    The ultimate goal of any page on your website is for you to get leads to turn into customers. Apoor working relationship is right up there when it comes to what makes work unbearable. In a partnership between designer and client, there are sometimes blurred boundaries about who is calling the shots. It breeds animosity which results in a difficult relationship.

    2 min read
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  • Digital marketing

    • 5 Books Every Tech Marketer Should Read

    It's World Book Day so I wanted to share 5 books I think are must-reads for any marketing professional in the tech industry. Whether you are in B2B, consumer tech or SAAS, these books will improve your marketing skills...

    1 min read
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  • SEO

    • 5 Natural Ways To Boost The Number Of Links To Your Site

    We talk a lot about how external links can benefit your SEO ranking. As Google gives higher ranking positions to sites with high quality links pointing to them, it's worthwhile focusing your time on a link building strategy.  

    3 min read
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  • Digital marketing

    • 8 easy-to-implement tips to squeeze the most out of your email database

    If you want to convert more leads and create better value marketing strategies then you need to start segmenting customers.

    3 min read
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  • Digital marketing

    • Don't fall for SPAM! How to trust an eCommerce site over Christmas

    As we're getting closer to Christmas, more shoppers are buying online. In 2014 UK shoppers spent approximately £17.4 billion online for Christmas. Over the holidays, it's important to keep safe whilst shopping online so you don't fall victim to any scam sites. Don't let your Christmas be ruined by hoax websites, here is what you need to look for before you trust an eCommerce site.

    5 min read
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  • SEO

    • What is Google RankBrain? Should we be afraid?

    Google has confirmed it’s developing an artificial intelligence algorithm called RankBrain as part of it's overall ranking algorithm to help results rank 'more naturally'. Hearing the words ‘artificial intelligence’ doesn’t always inspire positive connotations. Films like Ex Machina (2015), I, Robot (2004) and Hal from 2001: Space Odyssey (1968) have fed an irrational fear toward AI. So, what is Google Rankbrain and should we be afraid?

    2 min read
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  • SEO

    • Watch out SEOs: new Penguin update before the end of 2015?

    We knew it would return eventually. Every year since it's release, Google's Penguin update has been shaking up people's rankings by stamping down on spammy sites. As of yet, there's no official date but Gary Illes from Google has suggested there will be a new, permanent Penguin update by the end of the year. 

    2 min read
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  • Digital marketing

    • How To Market Services: 7 Steps To Stand Out Success

    Creating an effective brand image is a difficult task all new businesses need to master, so we’ve collected the best tips for you to get started, you can thank us later.

    3 min read
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  • Digital marketing

    • Tech Businesses: How to build a customer base that converts in 7 days

    Having to build a customer base is a priority for all new businesses. To be successful as an online tech business, you need a customer list of reliable contact information. With this list, you can communicate with your customers and nurture them. But where do you start? We cut through the myriad of options and explain the quickest route to creating a list of converting contacts in 7 days.

    4 min read
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  • Digital marketing

    • How to engage with customers: 4 essential steps (with examples)

    Do you remember the old days, when the only ways for businesses to engage with customers was by costly TV ads or communicating with their customers via post? Thanks to the internet and mobile technology, it's so much easier for businesses to connect with you. For business owners, this means there are hundreds of ways you can now communicate. Let's explore four popular modern methods and see how the professionals use them to market their business.

    5 min read
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  • SEO

    • Benefits Of Infographics: 7 Ways To Boost Your Audience

    Benefits of Infographics: 7 Ways to Boost Your Audience (View Full Infographic below) You’ve got some compelling data, or some exciting statistics that you can’t wait to show the world and after messing around in excel it still looks pretty boring.

    2 min read
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  • Digital marketing

    • Exterminate: How to obliterate the competition

    In today's market you have to be willing to compete against other businesses to be successful in your industry. Now that more small businesses are moving their business online, competition is getting fiercer. You can't stick your head in the sand and hope your competitors won't take your customers away, you need to act and obliterate the competition! Learn how to analyse your competition to outmatch and exterminate them.

    3 min read
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  • SEO

    • Your website is weak. Use these 5 techniques to make it bulletproof

    If you want to enjoy lofty search rankings that bring in hordes of unique visitors, you'll need a strong and robust site. Here are the 5 fundamentals you must consider. Start today and inject your site with a shot of adrenaline. 

    2 min read
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  • Analytics

    • Is it really working? 5 ways to calculate and improve your marketing success

    Having an excellent marketing strategy is pinnacle to achieving success in your business. But, how do you know if your marketing is any good? You don't want to wait until your business crumbles before realising your strategy wasn't working. We've collected some of the best ways you can reliably assess and improve your marketing tactics. Find out what's working and what isn't!

    2 min read
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  • Digital marketing

    • Get to know CRM and why it will revolutionise your sales growth

    What is CRM? When searching for a reliable, effective and time-saving strategy to grow your sales - to put it simply, all roads lead to CRM. But what is CRM and why do we believe it will revolutionise your sales growth?

    3 min read
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  • Digital marketing

    • Google tests striking AdWord format that could give your local business priority

    Have you ever felt like your business seems to be at the bottom of the search results no matter what you do?  Whilst bigger companies with bigger budgets invest heavily and draw up huge marketing teams to perfect their strategy, it can often seem like an impossible task to attract leads from search when competing in a busy market. fortunately, this may be about to change...Phew!

    2 min read
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  • Digital marketing

    • Why do some small businesses fail?

    The UK is packed with innovative young businesses, full of fresh ideas. It has recently been reported that 46% of these are expecting to grow in 2015. This is of course, great news for the UK economy and an exciting time for those businesses expecting growth. But what about the businesses that don't see the same growth? Why do small businesses fail?  The reasons for failure can be varied and diverse, but we've highlighted some key reasons below:

    2 min read
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  • Digital marketing

    • Google pops to the shops

    Google has unveiled its debut branded shop, the first flagship one opening at Currys PC World on Tottenham Court Road in London.

    1 min read
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  • Digital marketing

    • How to set SMART Marketing Goals

    The start of the New Year is a great time to re-evaluate your progression and set brand new marketing goals. Setting practical and achievable goals is essential to any business, and SMART marketing goals can help you to achieve just that. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound but how do you actually use this?

    1 min read
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